Sonic Glossary

Fig 1: G. Pencz: The Sense of Hearing. engraving, 16th century.

Suspension
A momentary tension, caused by the holding over of a note from one chord into the next chord, to which it does not belong.

[Example 1: Mozart: Piano Concerto No.21 in C major, mvt 2: CD2549.]

A suspension is a momentary tension, caused by the holding over of a note from one chord into the next chord, to which it does not belong. -- Imagine two chords, one after the other:

 

Fig 2: Two chords: "a," "b," "c" are voices.

[Example 2: two chords.]

Now imagine that one of the notes of the first chord is held over when the second chord arrives. The note that is held over does not belong to the second chord. That not belonging produces harmonic tension, which is relieved only when the delayed note finally moves on, and joins the second chord. This moving on is called the resolution. In this example, it is the highest note that is held over, as you can see in the diagram:

 

Fig 3: Two chords: suspension in highest note: "a," "b," "c" are voices.

[Example 3: two chords: suspension in highest note.]

The suspension can happen on any note of a chord. Here are four examples, with the suspension in the top note, then in the second note down, then the third note down, finally in the bottom note.

 

Fig 4: Four suspensions: "a," "b," "c," "d" are voices.

[Example 4: four suspensions: (1) soprano; (2) alto; (3) tenor; (4) bass.]

If you look again at Fig.3, you will see that the suspension falls on the strong beat of the bar in each case. So as well as creating harmonic tension, a suspension also disrupts the pattern of strong and weak beats.

Here are some examples of suspensions from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. In Josquin Desprez's motet Ave Maria (c.1495), the line "Hail pious humility, fecundity without man" contains one suspension on the "-li-" of "humilitas" and another on the "-di-" of "fecunditas" (indicated by bold type):

Ave pia humilitas,
sine viro faecunditas,
  Hail pious humility,
fecundity without man,

[Fig.5: Josquin Desprez: Ave Maria.]

[Example 5: Josquin Desprez: Ave Maria: CD565.]

Suspensions occur on the words "laid" and "wrongs" in the Lament from Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas (1689):

When I am laid, am laid in earth
May my wrongs create ...

[Example 6: Purcell: Dido and Aeneas: Dido's Lament: CD349.]

This passage from a Mozart piano concerto (1785) offers a series of five suspensions:

[Example 7: Mozart: Piano Concerto No.21 in C major, mvt 2: CD2549.]

In this song from Gabriel Fauré's cycle The Song of Eve (1906), there are suspensions on the syllables in bold below:

Un rayon de lumière touche
La pâle fleur de mes yeux bleus;
Une flamme éveille ma bouche,
Un souffle éveille mes cheveux.
  A ray of sunlight brushes against
The pale flower of my blue eyes;
A flame kindles my mouth,
a breath stirs my hair.

[Example 8: Fauré: La chanson d'Eve, No.6 'L'aube blanche."]

Suspensions can be consonant while still producing tension. But the strongest suspensions involve dissonance between the delayed note and the second chord. This dissonance disappears as the resolution is reached. (You can see demonstrations of how these dissonant suspensions work in the Sonic Glossary entries Second and Seventh.)

When the resolution of one suspension sets up another suspension, the resulting effect is known as a suspension chain. A chain of five suspensions can be heard in the second half of this excerpt from a Haydn symphony (1795):

[Example 9: Haydn: Symphony No.104 ("London") in D major, mvt 1: CD205.]

Suspension is often used as an expressive device in Renaissance and Baroque vocal music to illustrate references to misery, longing, or physical pain (see Word painting). Luca Marenzio's madrigal Zefiro torna (1585) uses suspensions to convey erotic desire at the words "but for me, alas, there return even deeper sighs." Listen for five suspensions: three on "Ma," one on "gravi," and the last on "sospiri."

Ma per me, lasso, tornano i piu gravi sospiri,
But for me, alas, there return even deeper sighs.

[Example 10: Marenzio: Zefiro torna.]

 

Summary

  • A suspension is a momentary tension caused by the holding over of a note from one chord into the next chord, to which it does not belong.
  • When the resolution of one suspension sets up another, the resulting effect is called a suspension chain.
  • Suspension is often used in word painting to illustrate misery, longing, or physical pain.

 

Copyright © Columbia University,
Visual & Sound Materials from the Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library of Columbia University
Suspension written by: Michael Von der Linn
Recording & Mixing: Christopher Bailey
Narration: Annalisa Poirel
Technology & Design: Maurice Matiz